Sometimes i ask myself the same question.Whatever happened to reggae ?As it happens the same thing also happened to hip hop.

This documentary is a few years old, still very relevant to what is happening to the music.For those that have not viewed it or just want to learn something, check it out , it's full of knowledge. & yes reggae artists & JA does get a few mentions. The comparisons are very similar.

Yeah, Apollo Brown is definitely one of my favorites. Damu The Fudgemunk, J Rawls, Lee Bannon, Mister Modo and Oddisey also make fantastic hip hop. And I'm steadily finding new artists, plus veterans like MF Doom, DJ Premier, Madlib, Babu, Pete Rock are still producing some fresh tracks. So I don't really think hip hop is in such a bad state, it has just gone back underground.

Lord Dubious wrote:Wow! This really is becoming the grumpy old man forum!

or you could just go to a KRS-One show and think about the "good ole days". Oh, just go see KRS anyway!

I must say i don't really view things that way. Just sick & tired of hearing the same old crap on the radio & tv , when the best music out there gets little airplay & not many views on the likes of youtube.

Yes there are plenty of great sounds out there & as we know , you have to dig deep to find them , back then you did not have to dig too deep to find the gems, they were everywhere.

I think a lot of people can learn a lot from the veterans,I don't care about the good ole days, only the good new days & yes it's not where you were at then,It's where you are at now that count's.

agreed! end of 80's/early-mid 90's to me, it was like every new rap album coming out created a new genre wihin hiphop/rap. public enemy, BDP, big daddy kane, ultra magnetic mc's, jungle bros./de la soul/tribe called quest, eric b. & rakim, epmd, gang starr - they all added something unique to the sound. very interesting time.

and of course all the britcore artists - hijack, demon boyz, silver bullet etc. and french artists...

It's just that genuine grassroots hip hop has gone back underground. In the past, a whole lot of great hip hop albums were released on majors, it doesn't seem to be the norm anymore, just simple as that!95 % of the mainstream rap artists just provide pure crap, and those who made a name for themselves in the underground and then graduated to the mainstream. Most of those big names just seem to live on past glories and certain diehard fans just go with it. A good number of them are just moronic egotists ( some must be ill, really) and inoculate moral cancer in their lyrics. Gangstarism, materialism and hedonism was but one side of hip hop in the 90's ,it has now become the only angle developped by most majors. Some of those guys are just multi-millionaire who couldn't give a damn about the example they set. Maybe some will invest in some charities fot it's always beneficialfor their ego, taxation and public image. Not being a specialist, i still hear some GREAT current hh once in a while. Sure there must be heaps more but one can't rely on mainstream media to carry the vibes. YEs, Appolo Brown is a great beatmaker: his album with OC is a modern classic,imho.

luv those boom bap beats. As of late been very inspired by the likes of pete rock, j dilla & co.The whole mpc groove is just wonderful, the soulful samples simply inspire me like good dub, don't even need lyrics.A good beat says it all without words.

luv those boom bap beats. As of late been very inspired by the likes of pete rock, j dilla & co.The whole mpc groove is just wonderful, the soulful samples simply inspire me like good dub, don't even need lyrics.A good beat says it all without words.

pete rock is my personal favorite:whenever you see "Hip hop underground soul classics" buy it ! Featuring 2 unrelased albums by InI and Deda. dope beats i tell you .... and the mcs are cool, too.Oh, and i still like Little Brother.